The Touch of Fire
by Cordelia Ashwood
Summary: Something is infecting the dragon population. To save the wizarding world from economic collapse Hermione must travel to Romania, but can she manage to solve the mystery when her thoughts are crowded by a certain Dragon Tamer? A/U EWE Charlie/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, this is my first ever fanfic. I'm not sure how good it will be, but this story popped into my head and I couldn't get it out. There are such a limited number of Charlie/Hermione fics, and I decided i had to try and add some. They're my new guilty obsession. Anyway, read and review! Any comments about how to better my work, or anything you want to share would make my day!

Disclaimer: The characters you find here are all from the mastermind of JK Rowling. It's her universe and I'm just playing in it. I don't make any profit off anything that's written.

Love, Cordelia

Chapter 1

Hermione Granger is exhausted. She had spent the last six hours frantically gathering everything she would need for this last minute trip. Triple checking her list for anything she might have missed.

"Dragon hid gloves, advanced potions kit, muggle microscope, flame retardant clothes, spare vials, dragon hide boots, sweaters, jeans." She walked around her flat muttering. "Damn it all to hell!" She shouted suddenly. 'Where is my cauldron?!" Tearing through the flat and digging up her standard size two cooper cauldron. 'damn Kingsley' she murmured under her breath cursing the Minister for giving her such a short amount of time to prepare. She thought back to this morning and wondered how she had been roped into this again.

10 Hours earlier.

Hermione hummed a tune in her head carrying her coffee and muffin and checked the time, 7:45. She sighed, and tapped her foot while waiting for the lift in the atrium. She was preparing for a long day of paperwork ahead. Working in the Regulation and Control of Magic Creatures division for the Ministry was a lot more tedious than she had hoped. Still, at least she knew she was doing something good in the world. Even if filling out proposal after proposal bored her to tears some days, and made her want to pull her hair out in frustration. She stepped into the lift and hit the button for level four. Ignoring the spectral voice that announced each level and department. Never had she imagined herself longing for the days where her life was at risk. She knew she didn't want to be an auror with Harry and Ron, but sympathised with their need for adventure and action. The lift dinged and opened to her floor. Hurrying over to her office she nodded a polite hello to her receptionist.

"Good morning Nancy, how was your night out?" She questioned with a raised brow.

Nancy was a few years her junior, but a proficient employee. She was a pretty girl with short blonde hair, deep blue eyes and a round face. She looked like an overgrown cherub, but her personality was decidedly opposite. She lived by the motto "work hard, play harder" and Hermione couldn't help but adore her. She always looked forward to being regaled by the misadventures of Nancy on Monday mornings. Judging by the steaming cup of tea, empty vial of hangover potion, and slightly green complexion this would prove to be a good one. Nancy looked up at her and grimaced. She held up a finger and downed her tea in three large gulps. Hermione chuckled under her breath knowing the potion would have been mixed into her tea, as was her custom. Watching as the girls face slowly returned to normal colour and her eyes gained back their signature spark.

"Good morning Hermione!" Nancy chirped happily now that her hangover was officially a thing of the past. "My weekend was amazing, well, what I can remember of it anyway.." She trailed off. Hermione sat on the edge of Nancy's desk and smirked before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, don't hold out on me now!" she urged. "You know I live vicariously through you, now that my life's gotten so mundane"

"Okay, well it all started out on Friday night. Me and the girls decided to check out that new Club that opened up. A bit of dancing, a bit of drinking, you know, the usual." She started off, eyes twinkling in merriment and mischief.

Hermione nodded at her to continue.

"Well, halfway through the night Audrey runs up to me and tells me that she overheard this group talking about this new festival that was going on. She said she overheard them say it was in the middle of a forest in Grimsthorpe. She insisted we had to go!" Nancy was practically jumping in her seat at this point.

"Wait," Hermione interrupted her. "was this at a muggle club or wizarding?" She asked. Knowing she was hopelessly out of the loop for any exciting new venues in either world. After the war she had tried to go out and blow off some steam with Ginny, but the paparazzi had hounded her no matter where she went. She had gotten sick of it and now preferred to unwind with a drink at home when she needed one. 'Another reason my life is so dull' She thought sulkily.

"Muggle" Nancy replied unaware of her bosses internal brooding.

"But get this!" She continued waving her arms around wildly. "The reason Audrey overheard the conversation was because the festival was called 'Forbidden Forest'!"

"What?!" Hermione shouted, choking on her coffee and spilling some of it down her chest. "Fuck!" she cursed the hot liquid that was rapidly staining her new peach blouse. Nancy giggled and waved her wand, cleaning up the spot. It wasn't often she could shock her boss to such elicit language.

"Thanks" Hermione smiled to her gratefully.

"Well, that's the reaction I had too! We had to figure out if this was some elaborate prank or just some coincidence."

"Which one was it?" Hermione asked with trepidation. Her thoughts straying to darker possible motives than a prank.

"Oh, just a coincidence" Nancy waved her question away like an unimportant detail. Before she could continue on with her wild story about her weekend shenanigans the lift burst open and the minister himself rushed over looking harried.

"Kingsley, what's wrong!" Hermione exclaimed jumping down from the desk quickly; momentarily forgetting to address him properly in her shock. She hadn't seen him like this since the first few years following the war. Back then it was the stress of rounding up rouge Death Eaters and trying to put their world back to rights. Her heart was already racing and her mind running though the possible reasons he would search her out with that look on his face.

"Hermione" He sighed running a hand down the back of his bald head. "Thank Gods you're here early this morning. Can we talk privately in your office? I have something of a pressing nature that I need to discuss with you. Immediately if you have the time?"

"Of course, Minister" She replied at once gesturing him toward the open door.

Turning to Nancy she said "Hold all memos and reschedule any meeting I had this morning." Nancy nodded with wide eyes. Seeing the look of terror on the poor girls face Hermione continued "and if anyone insists on seeing me, kindly tell them to 'fuck off'." She smirked. Nancy snorted indelicately and relaxed getting to work on what Hermione requested.

Swiftly entering her office and shutting the door Hermione squared her shoulder to prepare for whatever unfortunate news Kings had in store. He was pacing back and forth scowling and didn't seem to notice her enter. Walking up to him she lightly put her hand on his shoulder shocking him out of his stewing.

"Kings" She said gently. "Please tell me what's going on. I haven't seen you this worked up since the end of the war." He sighed.

"Please take a seat, Mione" he murmured quietly. Sitting himself in the chair across from her desk. "First, I'm sorry to frighten you. I know there must be a hundred horrible scenarios running through your mind right now. Let me assure you, no one is hurt, missing or dead."

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and felt her shoulders sag in relief.

"Thank Gods" She whispered collapsing into her chair. "Would you like some tea?" She offered quickly knowing that her coffee would only wind her up further and suddenly craving the comfort of a good cuppa.

Waving her wand the kettle on her desk started boiling rapidly and two cups, sugar and cream situated themselves in between the two on the cleared space of her desk. Nodding gratefully Kingsley made his cup and took a large sip, slurping loudly in his haste.

"Now, if everyone's safe, what could possibly have you so worked up?" Hermione questioned with her brows furrowed in concern.

The years of working with the order and subsequent years of work at the Ministry had created a friendly relationship between the two of mutual respect and camaraderie. She tried to address him formally when in the presence of others, but behind closed doors they settled in to a more relaxed atmosphere.

"No one is dead, but this is the largest problem I've had to face since locking up the last Death Eaters." Kingsley's deep voice rumbled unhappily.

Hermione drew a breath. This was bad. Kingsley wasn't one to overreact to minor problems. The only question that remained was how bad was it?

"We've managed to keep this relatively quiet somehow, but what I'm about to tell you must stay confidential." He continued. Hermione nodded having already assumed that much.

"We had reports start coming in a few weeks ago, about unexpected reactions from some of our top Potioneers, specifically while using Dragon blood or Dragon Dung. I'm sure you have already heard mention of this because it would have been to hard to keep quiet while also protecting the wizarding public."

Hermione was nodding along. She had heard about it. There was a warning and recall issued the previous week for all products containing dragon's blood that was made in the last two weeks. The announcement in the Daily Prophet had stated that the blood may have been contaminated by an outside source, and was therefore unsafe to use because of possible reactions. It had stated not to worry, and truthfully no one seemed to be. Most people didn't brew their own potions regularly and even less kept fresh stores of the blood. The most common potions that used it were tricky to make, but cheap to buy as they contained such small amounts of it. She however had brought her vial into the Ministry to be properly disposed of, and hadn't given it much thought since. It wasn't as if these things didn't happen during the distribution and sale occasionally. The dragon dung was slightly trickier with how common it was, but it was listed as a fellow precaution because they shared a main distributer. There was obviously more to the story here though if Kingsley was bringing it up

"You see, it isn't a problem with contamination during the processing, distribution, or sale. The problem lies with the dragons themselves. We had reports come in from the Dragon Reserves that a large number of them have come down with a previously unknown illness. They have been trying to keep any showing symptoms in quarantine, but more seem to be popping up. Since they have no knowledge of what it is they do not know how to treat it, and more worrying, how it's spreading. The problem we now face isn't just the declining dragon numbers. We are fearful of the possible effect on the wizarding public, but also the complete loss of all products obtained from dragons. That in turn could cause a plummet in our economy that still hasn't recovered fully from the war." He finished off his explanation with a sad voice and a fierce look in his eye.

This was bad bad. Complete economic breakdown, nationwide panic bad. Hermione took it all in. Her mind whirled with possible scenarios if this were to happen. None of them were good. They had tried to get ahead of the problem, but if this mystery illness wasn't identified and corrected in time.. She shuddered at the possibilities.

"So, the problem needs to be identified and the dragons need to be healed." She summarised. "What do you need from me?" she asked quickly already going into planning mode to attack the situation at hand. "Would you like me to set up a team to collect information? Or I can look through the achieves and see if there is anything mentioned in them about this happening in the past." She hummed in thought.

"Hermione," Kings interrupted her. "Due to the sensitive nature of this problem, I'm afraid we cannot allow too many hands in the pot, so to say. I need this handled, quickly, quietly and efficiently."

"I understand completely. If we can get a solution fast enough there will be no need for the general public to panic. I don't usually agree with hiding things from the populace, but mass hysteria won't help anyone, especially before it's reached that level of gravity." She agreed with him.

He looked up at her relieved. "I knew I came to the right person. I can always count on you during moments of crises. It's a great relief to me, having you work here." Hermione swelled at the praise. She knew Kingsley trusted and respected her, but hearing it was another thing entirely.

"Thank you," she smiled at him her cheeks flushing humbly. "but you still haven't asked me to do anything yet." She prodded.

"I want you to be in charge of the project. I have a portkey set to leave for the Dragon Reserve at 8PM tonight. I want you to go there, and try and diagnose the illness and find a way to cure it. Preferably before this all blows up in our faces." He smiled at her for the first time since entering her office.

"YOU WHAT?!" She shrieked before she could contain herself. He had to be joking. 'There's no way he actually asked that of me.' she thought.

Kingsley chuckled at her outburst. His chest rumbling with the deep sound. "I'm serious Hermione. You are the best person for the job. Not only are you incredibly gifted, highly intelligent, and remarkably logical. But, you have the astounding ability to see seemingly unrelated details and correctly link them together."

"You're barmy. You've finally lost it, gone round the bend, as nutty as Luna you are." She muttered shaking her head. 'He cannot mean this. There's no way. I am not nearly qualified enough to handle a problem of this magnitude. I haven't even managed to wash my laundry this week. I couldn't possibly take this on. The stress of the job has finally got to him. He'll start walking around in a bowler hat in no time' She berated the man silently in her head.

Kingsley just chuckled again, likely guessing what she was thinking.

"I promise I have not lost the plot as you seem to think I have. Let me explain. You received an O in your Potions, Arithmancy, Care Of Magical Creatures, and Herbology NEWT's, correct?" He questioned hypothetically already knowing the answer. "You work in this department and have amassed a large amount of information on many different Creatures. You also can handle the testing phase for identifying the possible causes, and keep organised notes if further questioning is needed by a specific expert. Not to mention all of the qualities I have already listed." He finished looking at her expectantly.

"But Kings, surely.." She protested

"Furthermore, I trust you." He cut her off before she could explain why he should choose someone else. "I know you will keep this quiet and will do you very best to identify the issue. You already helped save the Wizarding world once, what's a second time, huh?" He quipped.

"I can't believe I'm considering this.." She rubbed her eyes feeling the headache start. 'But wasn't I just complaining about my boring stuffy life?' she questioned herself. 'At least this will be something new, something exciting' She debated. 'And you'll get to see dragons!' She internally squealed at the thought. She had been in love with them for longer than anyone else knew. Since before Hogwarts. She had loved reading about them in her fantasy books as a child, but that was nothing compared to knowing they were real. Her shock first year at seeing Hagrid hatch Norberta, formally Norbert, was only replaced when she realised how bad of an idea it was to keep her locked up. She couldn't stand the thought of that baby dragon not living among it's own kind. She had been all to relieved when they had gotten her safely away, but sad to see her go. That moment however bittersweet stuck with her. She loved dragons, they were everything magic rolled into one beautiful creature. 'I have to go' She thought 'I'll never have a chance like this again.'

Kingsley just waited patiently like he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Okay, I'll do it." Hermione acquiesced.

That was 10 hours before, and she nodded to herself. 'Yes, that's why I'm doing this. The dragons. They need help, and it's not like I've ever been able to turn my back on innocent suffering creatures. That's why I joined this stupid department in the first place. Plus, I don't think I'll be bored. Dragons tend to keep you on your toes. Good thing I've stayed in shape.' She thought distractedly.

She had spent a half hour in her meeting with Kingsley, two more hours being briefed and given all necessary information. She squeezed a quick lunch in with Harry and Ron. She made sure to ask them to tell everyone, and that she had an hour to say goodbye at 7 tonight. Kingsley agreed to bring the portkey to The Burrow for her. After lunch she spent another few hours tying up loose ends. She sent along proposals to colleagues to finish and submit, filed paperwork and told Nancy to hold down the fort while she was gone, knowing that things would continue to run smoothly with her still at the helm.

Now, it was almost 7. She had spent six hours packing and checking everything she could need. Taking one last look around her flat, she grabbed the bottle of fire whiskey and put it into her bag. 'Just in case' She thought with a sly grin. 'One can never be to prepared.' Grabbing her bag she turned on the spot and apparated to the backyard of The Burrow.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who read, followed or favourited this story! If you have any notes please let me know in a review or PM. As I said before this is my first story. I'm still in need of a Beta, so any mistakes are all mine. I've tried to check for them, but I'm only human and bound to make mistakes. if you notice them, be sure to point them out! Also, I forgot to mention that I know the festival mentioned in chapter one is only eight years old, but it was to good to pass up using it.

Disclaimer: All things recognized belong to JK. I do not own Harry Potter and make no money off this story.

Love, Cordelia

Chapter 2

Hermione landed at The Burrow with a small pop. Adjusting her backpack she turned and started walking toward the hodgepodge house. She sighed, 'This place will always feel like home'. Taking a deep breath and letting the familiar scents wash over her. A small gnome poked it's head out of the wellie he was hiding in, and she chuckled softly. 'Some things never change'

She reached her hand up to knock, but the door burst open before she had her arm even halfway lifted. Yanked inside roughly, her view was completely engulfed by long, silky red hair.

"I can't believe you're leaving on such little notice! I just got engaged and your off running to Gods know where! You had better be back in time to plan my hen night!" She pulled away to threaten her best friend.

"Ginny!" She giggled at her friends exuberance. "You aren't getting married until August that's almost a whole year away. I'll be home long before Christmas, which is plenty of time to plan. I wouldn't miss it. Witches Oath." She swore.

"Good." Stated Ginny. "I wouldn't want to Bat Bogey you before my big day. We'd never get them out of your hair." She cackled at Hermione's wince. "Come on, everyone's here and they'll all sulk if you don't say goodbye to them." She tugged Hermione by the sleeve and into the kitchen of The Burrow.

Hermione found herself quickly surrounded by Weasley's. Laughter, food and stories, flowed all around her. Suddenly she was swept up in a big hug from behind.

Laughing as she turned her head to look into George's smiling face. "George!" She screeched, swatting his arms. A smile stretching from ear to ear as he spun her around and around. "Put me down!"

"Never!" He shouted back. "We'll never let you go! You're stuck with the Weasley men forever!" He twirled her around and quickly passed her off to Bill.

"He's right little bird!" Bill continued spinning with her. "You've stolen all our hearts. We can't just let you fly off with them!" He teased. Fleur just shook her head in amusement over her husband's antics. Their one year old daughter being bounced lightly in her arms.

She swatted his arm as he set her on her feet, her head still spinning. She swayed slightly before Harry caught her and proceeded to dance her around in an ungraceful version of a tango.

"You all know she's only ever had eyes for me!" Harry chimed in, dipping her dramatically.

"Why yes Mr. Potter. I could never resist such such elegant dancing!" She bowed to him dramatically.

"She just swooned at your perfectly styled hair!" Ginny gushed. Her and Hermione swooning dramatically into each others arms and laughing.

"Oi, I think it was you who waxed about his eyes being as green as a fresh pickled toad, eh Gin?" Ron teased. Ginny stuck her tongue out in response.

"It worked for me in the end, didn't it?" she retorted. "Maybe I can give you a few lessons on poetry?" She waltzed over to her fiancee' and planted a loud kiss to his flushed cheek.

Ron's ears turned red as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend. "What do you think? Should I start taking lessons to woo you?" He asked her with a small smile.

"I already find you perfectly charming." She assured him with a small squeeze of his hand. Ron looked down at her completely besotted.

Ron had been dating former Hufflepuff Megan Jones for over a year now, and still looked at hopelessly infatuated as he did the first day he met her. They had met at Ginny's first Quidditch match. She was the cousin of team captain Gwenog Jones. They had sat next to each other and chatted about the match the whole game. Ron was smitten and everyone knew they would get together when she called a foul angrily at the ref. Ron's mouth had dropped comically at her fury for a missed call.

"Hermione, how am I ever going to manage these boys without you?" Mrs. Weasley lamented with a shake of her head. The rest of the woman nodding along with her.

"I leave you all in the very capable hands of your lovely, beautiful, and most importantly, patient partners." Hermione gestured to Megan, Angelina, Ginny, and Fleur.

"Too right you are. We are officially the luckiest sods in all of England!" George announced to the group. Swooping down and placing a loud wet kiss to Angelina's lips.

"Urgh, George!" she wiped her mouth dry. "Save it for the bedroom." she winked coyly.

A deep chuckle interrupted the banter.

"Sorry to break up the party." Kingsley's deep voice called out. "Hermione, it's nearly time." He nodded to her.

"Kingsley!" the group greeted together. They all shook his hand with a smile.

"So, where are the sending you Hermione?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"Well, you already know I'm doing research into the possible contamination of the dragon blood." Hermione answered. "I'm guessing I'm going to Welsh Sanctuary, considering it's the closest, and one of the main distributors for the UK." Hermione hummed in thought. She had been in such a rush this morning she hadn't actually questioned where she was going.

"Unfortunately, Hermione I have to send you a bit farther than that." Kingsley answered Arthur's question. "Our reports indicate another sanctuary as the source of the problem, and it's much more advanced in their research facilities which I have no doubt will be very useful to you during your stay." He hinted to her.

"So, where am I off to?" She asked with a raised brow. 'There aren't that many of them out there. And certainly not many connected enough to the British Ministry to authorize last minute portkey's and research privileges' Hermione wondered.

"I've set everything up for you at the Sanctuary in Romania. Someone will meet you there when you arrive and give you a quick tour before showing you to your lodging. I hope you don't mind staying in the Tamers cabins. Everything was so last minute and I thought it best to keep you as close to your work as possible, considering everything." He implored her with his eyes. She knew the Weasley's could all be trusted, but this was a matter of national crisis and she caught on to his hidden message.

"Of course, Kings. It's not like I need a fancy five star hotel." She assured him. "Wait, did you say Romania?" she stuttered, her stomach firmly lodged somewhere near her throat. 'Romania? No... How could I have possibly missed that? It makes sense they would send me there. How could I have not even considered the possibility... Dragons mean Romania, Romania means...'

"Charlie" She whispered. Her thighs clenched involuntarily at the image of him that flashed in her mind. 'Fuck, what am I going to do? Damn this stupid crush, damn Charlie Weasley and his wicked smile and scorching gaze that makes me feel like he's lighting a fire in my veins. This is not the kind of distraction I need' she cursed in her head. 'But, it's exactly the kind of distraction you want.' she argued back to herself.

"...Charlie, would you?" Hermione jerked her head up at the question, and flushed at the thoughts that were running through her head. Ones that featured a decidedly naked and tattooed Charlie whispering naughty things in her ear.

"I'm sorry, what was that Molly?" She asked ignoring Ginny's knowing smirk and trying to calm her flushed cheeks.

"I said, If your going to be in Romania, you wouldn't mind looking in on Charlie, would you dear?" Molly repeated. "It's just with him so far, I do tend to worry." Molly twisted her apron in her hands. Everyone knew she loved her family and hated not being able to smother her second eldest.

"Don't worry Mum, I'm sure Hermione would love to look in on Charlie." Ginny winked in her direction. Hermione glared at her friends insinuation hoping no one else had caught it. 'Gods, I would just die with embarrassment!' she thought.

"Oh, it would make me rest easier knowing you would Hermione." Mrs. Weasley gushed.

"Of course Molly. It wouldn't be any trouble." She assured her and Molly wrapped her into a big hug. Pulling away she patted her cheek. "You really are such a sweet girl. Be safe." Molly pulled away as Kingsley walked over.

"All Ready then?" He asked pulling out a rusty old can. Hermione quickly gave everyone hugs before grabbing her pack and touching her finger to the can.

"Bye everyone, I'll miss you all!" She called to them. "Don't forget to write!" The last thing she saw was them waving with grins before she felt the familiar hook behind her naval.

THUMP

She landed hard and collapsed to the ground. Lifting her head she tried to get her bearings as the world continued to spin.

"Merlin's balls, I'll never get used to international porkeys!" She grumbled to herself. Dusting off her jeans she looked up and the sound of quiet laughter. Standing in front of her with amusement dancing in his eyes and his hand outstretched was..

"Charlie" his name came out as a whimper as their eyes met.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I'm still having trouble knowing the proper place to stop, so I just keep wait till it feels right. I wrote and reviewed this late at night so, if there are any mistakes that's why. I kind of feel like I should wait till I have a few chapters written in advance before I post them, but I'm just so excited to get this all out there. Especially because my laptop already crashed twice and deleted large chunks of the story. Well, read and enjoy! Thanks again to everyone taking their time to read this!

Love, Cordelia

Chapter 3

"Charlie..."

He was just the way she remembered. Shorter than Bill or Ron, but with muscles that rippled under his dragon hide vest. His red hair had grown down to his shoulders and was tied back with a string of leather. It was a slightly darker shade than his brothers, closer to Ginny's auburn strands and pin straight. His face and arms were so covered in freckles it looked like he was tanned from the sun. Worn black jeans were tucked into dragon hide boots. A gray T-shirt was under the vest, and stretched enticingly over his arms and chest. Shiny burns crisscrossed over his forearms. One large scar wrapped from his left elbow and disappeared under his shirt peaking out at the top along his collarbone and ending in the middle of his neck. His right arm was covered by a large tattoo of a Romanian Longhorn. It's dark green scales stood out against the light dusting of ginger hair. It's golden horns glittered and sparkled in the light in a way that could only be accomplished by magic. The tail reached from the knuckle of middle finger wrapping around his wrist, the wings curved around his bulging biceps. It's head covered his shoulder; the horns mirrored the scar on the opposite side, running on either side of his collarbone. His round face looked carefree and rugged. His beard was trimmed short and accentuated his sharp jawline. His mouth was pulled into a devilish smirk, but it was his eyes that drew her in. They were the steely blue, but his emotions danced inside them like flames. The scorching passion for life, blazing anger, twinkling mischief, burning curiosity. They consumed her.

"Need some help, love?" Charlie's voice broke her out of her daze. She looked at his still outstretched hand. Her cheeks flamed at her undignified position. 'Merlin, how do I always manage to make an ass out of myself around this man?' She huffed internally. She put her small hand inside his large calloused one and he tugged hard once, easily pulling her to her feet. Still slightly off balance, she crashed into his broad chest. She shivered at the feel of his hard pecs beneath her fingers as her knickers dampened by his proximity. The smell of him engulfed her senses. Pine, leather, and a slightly sulfuric scent like that of an extinguished match. His laughter shook in his chest.

"Falling for me already Granger?' He teased. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug before she could pull away.

"Your humility is awe inspiring, as always, Charlie." She answered sarcastically.

He let out a booming laughter, releasing her. "I sure have missed your wit Hermione. Keeps me on my toes." He grabbed her bag before she could and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll show you to your cabin first before the main tour of the grounds." He called over his shoulder walking to the exit of the visitors lobby and into the main building. Having no choice but to follow him she quickened her pace to fall into step with him.

"So, you're the one the Ministry sent to solve our mystery?" He asked as they left through the back door and down the dirt path to the Tamers cabins in the distance.

"Mmmm..." she hummed noncommittally. She didn't know how much he was privy to.

"It's okay, I'm actually the lead Tamer caring for the infected in the sanctuary. Wrote the reports requesting help to Kingsley myself." He replied picking up on her hesitation.

She glanced over and noted his darkening features. His thoughts on the sick dragons in his care.

"Kingsley didn't mention that." She contemplated aloud. "Yes, I'm hoping to at least. It's honestly kind of intimidating. There's so much riding on this, and I can't stand the thought of those magnificent beasts suffering." She answered him shaking her head sadly.

His head snapped up in surprise at the mournful tone in her voice. His feet faltered and she looked back to him concerned. He was staring at her with an expression she had never seen before. His eyes penetrating into her soul and lighting stroking the heat that raced down between her legs. He looked at her like he was seeing something inside her that he had never noticed. Like she was a puzzle he couldn't wait to figure out.

"What?" She questioned him.

"Nothing." He said still staring at her. "I just didn't know you liked dragons so much." He muttered sheepishly, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "I was kind of expecting the person the ministry sent over to be interested in solving this problem for the notoriety, or the even just the money. I didn't think they would care about the beasts that were suffering to be honest. Most wizards keep clear of dragons, and are only interested in what they can take from them. Us Tamers are usually the only ones barmy enough to want to take care of the nasty tempered overgrown lizards." He chuckled. "Sorry for underestimating you." He apologized with a smile.

"It's alright." She smiled up at him. "I guess it's surprising to most people. I'm rather outspoken about Creatures rights at the DRCMC, but that mostly focuses on trying to establish rights for those that have been taken advantage of. Not that any of my proposals have been approved lately." She shook her head. "One of the reasons I accepted this was to hopefully make a difference, and get away from the bureaucracy."

"Tired of paperwork, eh?" Charlie chuckled. "Not surprising with all the adventures you lot used to get up to. I couldn't imagine being stuck in an office all day. Think I'd go spare without the risk of catching fire to add some spice to life." He laughed self deprecatingly.

Hermione looked him over and smirked.

"No, I don't think you'd quite fit into the standard office employee mold." She answered honestly and he grinned in response. Obviously taking it as a compliment. "It's not that I mind the paperwork..." She answered his earlier question. "It's more the monotony of everything. I thought I would enjoy having a quite normal life after the war, but.." She trailed off not sure how to put the feeling into words.

Charlie snorted indelicately. "You were always the brains of your little group Mione, but you were always right along side them in the thick of it. You've got a fire in your heart, and no desk job, no matter how rewarding it is, is going to quench that need that's bubbling right under the surface. I could have told you that."

It was Hermione's turn to look at him in shock. 'How could he have possibly known that. The way he worded it was like he knew personally what that feeling was. How it feels to have this burning desire for excitement that never faded, always simmering in the depths of your soul, reminding you time and time again that something was missing, and you couldn't help but feel that life was slowly slipping through your fingers without anything ever happening around you." She looked at him searching to see if he truly got it. She realized they had stopped walking again. Just standing on the dirt path lined with old wood cabins.

His eyes met hers and she saw them flash with a knowledge before settling into a familiar burn. "It's the way I felt before I started Taming. Quidditch was thing that came close to matching it. Still wasn't enough though." He shrugged and started walking again. "Just you wait till you taste some real fire, love. You'll never want to leave." He called over his shoulder with a smile that set her knickers ablaze and made her pussy clench with need.

"Hurry up, we're almost at yours!" He gestured to the row of single cottage style homes. Racing to catch up Hermione only had one thought that went through her head.

'Fucking hell, if he keeps talking to me like that I'll never be able to go back to filling out damn proposals.'


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I honestly didn't think anyone would read this story, and with life being so busy with school starting up next week this got pushed to the back burner. I hope you're all happy with the chapter, and any mistake you find are mine. Still looking for a beta if anyone's interested! I also want to thank everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed this fic. You're all amazing and it keeps me motivated to continue writing.

Love, Cordelia

Chapter 4

Charlie stood at the door to an unassuming cabin. It was a small wooden cottage with one floor. There was a covered porch at the front that would allow her to sit outside if it rained. It was an exact replica of the others that were lined up and down the paths. Probably fifty or so in total with ten on each side, and laid out in a grid pattern. Hermione noted that several of these had personal touches like chairs, benches and even a few with potted flowers and plants. She walked up and took note of the number knowing she wouldn't be able to find her way back and not wanting to get lost, or caught trying to enter someone else's house. The cabin was wider than it was deep, and the door was centered directly in the middle.

"Now, each house is keyed into the tenants magical signature, so you don't have to worry about carrying a key on you. They have some standard wards and protections including the Flame-Freezing Charm. Wouldn't want the whole village to burn down just because some ornery dragon got loose." Charlie explained to her.

"Just wave your wand in front of the handle and it will automatically set it's wards to your signature." Hermione did as she was told and after the runes glowed a faint white light she turned the knob. She walked into a cozy little space that was already sparsely furnished. There were two doors on the right side that she assumed led to the bedroom and loo. To the left was a small sitting area complete with a comfortable looking overstuffed couch, two end tables, and a coffee table set on a deep green circular rug. One empty bookshelf completed the room just waiting to be filled. Along the left wall halfway between the living room and kitchen was a crackling fire that warmed the space up and created a welcoming atmosphere. The kitchen was small, only consisting of a small gas stove, counter and sink, a small table with two chairs, and an icebox. It was warm and homey and she smiled looking around.

"Not what you were expecting I take it?" Charlie chuckled.

"It's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, looking around in awe. She walked into the bedroom and saw a large queen sized bed with two night stands on either side. There was also a chest of drawers and another smaller bookshelf. If she had to pick one word to describe it, it was quaint. It wasn't as large as her flat but truthfully, it was more than she had been hoping for. She had expected a one room lodging if she were being honest. Charlie followed her in, and set her bag on the bed. 'I'll have to buy some sheets and pillows.' She noted to herself with a look at the bare mattress.

"You should wait to unpack until later. Still gotta give you the tour, yeah?" Charlie called to her as she meandered into the washroom. This was pretty basic, consisting of a standing shower, toilet and sink, with a small cupboard to store towels and other toiletries.

She hummed her agreement and met him by the front door where he was waiting by the front door for her.

"Led the way, then. I can't wait to see the dragons!"

Charlie shook his head in amusement.

"Unfortunately that part is going to have to wait until morning. Can't really see much at night anyway." He answered. Hermione actually pouted at hearing this, but realized rationally that he was right. and waking up dragons just so she could satiate her curiosity was a pretty idiotic move. Charlie shook his head in amusement at her pouting face.

"Come on, there's still a lot to see."

She followed him down the dirt path, trying to commit to memory the turns they took.

"These are all the Tamers lodgings. There's more people who live right outside the sanctuary, but they need us all to stay close enough to the dragons in case of emergency. You won't need to worry about that too much, because you'll be doing research. We wouldn't expect you to jump in and start wrestling a pissed off fire breathing beast. There is a sanctuary wide alarm that goes off if there's a major issue. Kind of an all hands on deck situation. Those don't happen very often though. Only had a few in all the years I've been here." He explained as they continued walking. They reached the end of the cabins and hit a paved street.

"We have a few things here on site though. The hospital is over there." He gestured down the right side of the street where she could see a larger building that had lights glowing in the windows. "If you make a right at the hospital there's a small pub, and a coffee shop. That way leads into the village. There's a large gate you have to go through at the end. That way we don't have to worry about people walking through who don't have clearance. Everyone visiting has to go through the building you arrived in." She nodded along thinking it would be more than dangerous to allow just anyone into the Sanctuary and happy about the precautions taken to insure the safety of the dragons and witches and wizards alike. Though, she thought anyone stupid enough to walk into a Dragon Reserve probably deserved to be eaten.

"To the left of the hospital is where the actual enclosures start. The nursery is right up front, and it borders the rehab center right here." He gestured to the large fence they were standing in front of. Turning to the left side of the path he continued.

"The research lab is right at the end of this street. That's probably where you'll spend most of your time. To the right of the lab is a small apothecary. It's not large, and only a few have authority to actually use it. Everything paid for by the reserve and it's more for supplying the lab with what they need. The rest of us have to use the one in the village, it's a bit further, but most of us aren't brewing much so we don't mind. Further out you have the actual sections where we have the healthy Dragons. Currently we have Chinese Fireballs, Romainian Longhorns, Antipodean Opaleyes, Hungarian Horntails, Norwegian Ridgebacks, Ukrainian Ironbelly's, and Swedish Short-Snouts. We used to have a few Vipertooths, but they weren't worth the Tamers we kept losing." Charlie explained. "Since we can't view the Dragons, I figured we could walk to the village. Incase there's a few things you need to pick up tonight, or in the future?" Charlie ventured and directed them to the right and down the path towards the Hospital.

"Actually I do need to get sheets and pillows.." Hermione answered. "Didn't think to pack them if I'm being honest."

Charlie gasped and put his hand to his chest. "You mean to tell me that thee Hermione Granger actually didn't think of something?" He teased mockingly.

"Oh hush you!" Hermione answered with a smack to his arm laughing.

"Help, someone, I'm being abused!" Charlie called out to no one in particular clutching his arm dramatically, and garnering amused looks from the few people they passed.

"If you keep that up I'll do more than just smack you." She threateningly teased.

"Careful there Mione, a bloke might get the wrong idea with words like that." He teased back with a wink, thoroughly enjoying the way her cheeks instantly flooded with color.

"Charles Weasley, you are just as bad as your brothers!" She retorted trying to calm the burning in her face.

"Was there ever any doubt?" He smirked.

They continued the walk down and Hermione heard loud boisterous laughed emitting from the pub as they passed. A few Tamers already well into their drinks singing loudly as they stumbled out with their arms around each other.

"You stole my cauldron, but you can't have my HEART!" They loudly finished off key, shouting the last word.

Charlie clutched his stomach as he doubled over in laughter.

"WEASLEY!" The two drunk men called to him noticing his arrival.

"Dumitru! Anderson!" Charlie called back to them. He walked over and slapped them goodnaturely on their backs. "Looks like you wankers started without me!"

"Oi! You took too bloody long!" slurred the man called Anderson. "After the day we've had you didn't expect us to wait, did you?"

"Fuckin' Laz was tetchy as hell today." Said the other man. " Nearly ripped my arm off, grumpy bastard."

Hermione watched the exchange and noted that the man 'Dumitru' did indeed have his left arm bandaged from shoulder to elbow. She observed both men carefully. They were both as muscular as Charlie, and obviously fellow Tamers if their appearance was anything to go on. Dumitru was taller than Charlie, easily over six foot. What he had in height wasn't lacking in brawn though. He was so muscular he looked as if he could give Hagrid a run for his money. Hermione idly wondered if he too had giant blood somewhere in his family background. She wouldn't have been surprised if he did. He had dark hair and dark eyes and quite a handsome face. It was even further enhanced by the laugh lines that lied about his mouth and eyes. Even talking about a nasty injury he suffered earlier that day, his eyes had a carefree twinkle in them. If not for that he would have been a very intimidating man. He lacked any tattoos like Charlie had, but instead had scars that lined his forearms in criss-crossed patterns to the point of not being able to see individual marks. His hair was trimmed short, and he had a shadow of facial hair the dusted his jaw and cheeks. Both men were dressed similar to Charlie as well. Jeans tucked into thick dragonhide boots, and T-shirts that were pulled tight across their well toned chests. The other man 'Anderson' was about the same height as Charlie, his build was still impressive, but had a more wiry look. Where Charlie and Dumitru were like lions poised and ready to strike, Anderson was a cheetah, fast and sleek. He had dark blonde shaggy hair and a youthful face. His light blue eyes were wide and curious. If Hemione had to guess, he was closer to her age than Charlie's and hadn't been Taming for as long judging by his lack of scars. He only had one large one that covered his right hand that was obviously from a close encounter with dragon fire.

"So why didn't you come to join us Char?" asked Anderson.

"Couldn't, had to meet the new researcher the Ministry sent over. Told you all about that at lunch." Charlie answered him.

"Oh yeah! How'd that go? Send over some stuffy suit to tell us what we're all doing wrong, huh?" chimed in Dumitru. He obviously didn't care for the Ministry officials he had encountered before.

"Nah, I actually know this one. She's tough as nails, I don't think we'll have a problem with her fitting in 'round here." He answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Her? Is that the bird that's over there waitin' on you?" Anderson commented nodding in her direction.

"Ah, Shite! Oi, Mione come over here and meet some of the boys!" Charlie called to her apologetically.

Hermione walked over and smirked at all the men in turn. "So kind of you to remember Charlie, Molly would be so happy that your manners haven't faded at all." she answered him sarcastically. Anderson raised a brow while Dumitru let out a guffaw of laughter at her cheek.

"Hermione Granger, pleased to meet you both." she introduced herself as she shook both their hands.

"Granger?! You really Hermione Granger? The one who helped take down You Know Who?" Anderson asked her in awe.

"Erm, yeah.. I am." She was still uncomfortable meeting people she didn't know, but who knew who she was. It was an experience she didn't think she would ever get used to.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Ben. I swear you have no filter after a few rounds" chided Dumitru. "Alex Dumitru." He shook Hermione's hand. "And the pounce without any tact is Ben Anderson."

"Sorry…" Ben apologized sheepishly. "Just caught me off guard is all. Not everyday you meet someone who helped destroy a madman and saved the wizarding world." He chuckled.

"It's fine." Hermione waved him off. "Being friends with Harry kind of numbs you to it, but honestly I did what anyone would have done."

"So, you gonna join us for a round then?" Alex cut in to break the uncomfortable silence that had started to settle in around them. He looked between Charlie and Hermione for confirmation.

"Well, I was gonna show Mione here down to the village and around the shops, but that shouldn't take too long. I'll be back in 'round an hour. You can tell me all about how Laz managed to get hold of you this time." Charlie grinned.

"Ah, you know Laz, can't go a day or two without trying to prove how much he loves me. I keep tellin' him he's not my type, but he won't take no for an answer." Alex laughed. "How 'bout you Prinţesă?"

Hermione decided she liked Alex quite a lot. He seemed to have the ability to lighten any situation, which was a quality she appreciated. Quickly thinking over her options, she decided that spending the night with Charlie in addition to these two men would be a preferable option to reviewing her files alone with a glass of fire whiskey. She wasn't sure about Ben yet, but hopefully she could make a new friend in Alex.

"I'm in. I wouldn't mind hearing that story myself, and it looks like you have a few others you could share too." she gestured to his incredibly scarred arms.

Letting out a deep throated chuckle Alex eyed her. "Da, Prinţesă. If you'd like I'll tell you all the misbegotten adventures I've had with my balaur. If you think you can handle it." He winked at her.

"Oh, I can handle a lot more than you'd guess." She flirted back lightheartedly.

"I'm sure you can, I bet you have some epic tales of your own. Maybe I can convince you to tell me some later." They both noted Charlie shift uncomfortably next to them. Ben was paying more attention to the arse of the pretty blonde woman who had walked out of the pub, and didn't seem to notice anything.

"Right, well, uh, we best get going then." Charlie stuttered looking between her and Alex. Alex chuckled again and rolled his eyes when he caught hers. He apparently found Charlie's behaviour highly amusing and waited until Charlie looked back up to send an exaggerated wink to her.

"See you later. It was nice meeting you both." Hermione called as she turned to follow Charlie back down the street. Ben waved distractedly as he walked over to the blonde he was eyeing. Alex just continued to laugh under his breath while shaking his head. She turned back around and had to jog to catch up with Charlie who hadn't waited for her. 'Could he really be upset about that?' Hermione wondered. 'He had to have realized that Alex was only flirting like that to get a rise out of him.'

"Charlie! Wait up! I don't know where I'm going you know." She called to him.

He stopped and turned around. His ears were bright red in embarrassment, but what he was embarrassed over she didn't know. "Sorry Mione," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I forgot. Not the best tour guide if I leave you behind, huh?"

"Don't worry about it." she smiled. He apparently wished to forget his uncomfortable display and she decided she would play along. At least for the moment. 'I'm sure I'll be able to pull it out of him later. Maybe he's embarrassed his friend was flirting with me?' She thought to herself. 'Ah, well if he doesn't want to talk about it, then I definitely won't bring it up.

'So, the cafe is over there." He pointed to the next building they passed. "and here we have the security gate. To get out you just have to wave your wand and the security wards will register the person leaving and time. It all gets logged automatically. Getting back in is a bit more difficult. Right now, you'll have to have someone escort you back in. Tomorrow you'll go to the office and they'll add you to the clearance list of authorised personnel to enter the Reserve. Once they do that, they'll give you your own code that will allow you to walk through the wards without being harmed. Everyone has their own, and it will only allow you access."

"Why the double security measure?" Hermione questioned him.

"That way you can't be stunned and used as a prop to gain access." He answered. "You have to be both you, and conscious to enter."

"Hmm, that makes sense. Especially if there are any poachers or illegal traders close by."

"Exactly. That's actually the reason they added them. Had one too many close calls with some of the eggs in the nursery when they first expanded the Reserve. That's also when they added in the pub and cafe. Too many drunk Tamers who were either too pissed to remember their code, or just out cold. Apparently one morning there was no less that fifteen found sleeping outside the gates." He laughed.

Hermione joined in the laughter just imagining a group of heavily muscled men cuddled up for warmth in a pile outside the gate like a litter of kittens.

When they reached the gate Charlie waved his wand and smiled down at her. "After you love."

She smiled back at him and was thankful that the embarrassment and awkwardness he had been suffering from had passed. "Thanks Charlie."

'His eyes really do smoulder when he smiles.' She thought with a sigh. 'I wonder how tonight is going to go.' Hermione proceeded to daydream about how she wished the night could end with her in Charlie's bed, or him in hers, as they walked into the village for her to buy what she needed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N

Okay, I am so sorry this chapter is coming so late! My laptop completely crashed on me, and I just got a new one. Thank you all who have stuck with it, even though it's been forever! I hope you like it, and I'll try to get more updates out soon. As always the mistakes are mine alone. If you notice any, please feel free to point them out. Also, your reviews give me life! Also, also, actually, actually, I don't own HP, and make no money off this story. Happy late Halloween everyone!

Chapter 5

An hour later found them walking back into the reserve. Hermione's new purchases shrunk and stowed away safely in her pocket. She reflected back on the enjoyable time she had spent alone with Charlie. Somehow feeling at ease around him despite all the butterflies rioting in her stomach when he looked at her.

"Still feeling up to having a drink with the lads? Might be good to know some of them before you dive headfirst into your research. Who knows when you'll come back up for air once you get started." Charlie quipped.

"I'm not that bad!" Hermione defended herself.

Charlie just raised a knowing eyebrow at her.

"Okay, so occasionally I lose myself in new projects.. " She conceded. "I'm not nearly as bad as I was in Hogwarts I'll have you know."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Fair warning, the guys are going to be even more trashed by now. If you don't want to go, I understand."

Hermione snorted indelicately at his warning. "I can't imagine they'll be worse than what I'm used to." She thought back to the rowdy nights spent with Harry and Ron after the war. There were too many times she had to levitate the pair of them into their beds to count.

Charlie chuckled. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Charlie walked her back to her cabin to deposit her things, and they quickly made their way back to the pub. She instantly noticed it was a lot busier than it had been before. Tamers, researchers and Healers off duty practically filled the pub to bursting. Loud music now permeated the air along with loud and boisterous laughter.

"Oh." Hermione stalled at the scene. She had forgotten just how loud and cramped pubs could get.

"Told you so. The reserve can get pretty stressful, so we all like to blow off steam while we can." He paused. "You don't have to come in you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's just been awhile since I went out. I got tired of all the reporters and everything I did being in the press after the war, so I stopped going out as much. Ginny still drags me along every so often, but usually to hole in the wall places. I'd just forgotten how loud it could be." She smiled at him.

"Well, luckily you don't have to worry about the press here. Might have to deal with a few drunk blokes that'll ask nosy questions. Just tell them to shove it if they get too annoying." He laughed and motioned for her to lead the way.

The pair made their way into the noisy building and were instantly flagged down by Alex. Ben was seen at the other side wrapped tightly around the busty blonde from earlier.

Alex had somehow saved them both seats at the table he was sitting and they quickly made their way over.

"Seems you made it after all! Wasn't sure if you'd chicken out Prinţesă." Alex greeted her with an easy smile.

"You obviously don't know me very well, so you're forgiven for thinking I would chicken out of anything." Hermione answered with a knowing smirk.

"Hopefully that's an invitation to get better acquainted." Alex's wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Hermione laughed at his outlandish behaviour. He was obviously much further into his cups than he had been earlier. Charlie cleared his throat, and she looked over at him. He shot a glare at Alex before turning to her.

"So Mione, what's your poison?" He asked smoothly.

"Firewhiskey neat please." She answered him. His eyebrows jumped in surprise as his eyes widened comically. She couldn't help the small chuckle that escape her at the sight.

"Since when do you drink firewhiskey?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

Trying to control the laughter that peeled out of her and clutching her stomach at his shocked expression.

"I spent a lot of time with an Irish bloke I went to school with, Seamus Finnigan. After a few nights spent on my arse I learned how to keep up. Plus, nothing quite hits the spot like the burn of Firewhiskey." She answered honestly.

"Only because you've never felt dragon fire before." came a new voice from over her shoulder. Turning in her chair to see who the newcomer was, she was surprised when her eyes met a sparkling green women's framed by dark lashes. Not like Harry's emerald orbs, these were closer to a light mossy green. Shaking her head she noted the rest of the person. The woman was obviously a Tamer, as she was quickly becoming aware that they all bore their scars proudly. She was petite, smaller even than Hermione herself. Her dark hair was cut into a short pixie cut that suited her round face, making her look even more fairylike. She wore a tight black T-shirt with the muggle band Nine Inch Nails on the front. She wore tight black jeans also tucked into a pair of dragon hide boots. She smirked at Hermione and winked.

"Tasha Hart." She introduced herself and stuck out her hand.

"Hermione Granger." Hermione took her offered hand.

Tasha turned and quickly grabbed a chair from behind them right before a man sat down on it. She spun it around and sat as the man tumbled to the floor and looked around bewildered as to how he ended up on the ground. Hermione snorted and covered her mouth at the scene. Ignoring the man completely Tasha looked her up and down.

"So, you're new. What brings you to the wilds of Romania?" She questioned without preamble. Hermione got the feeling that Tasha was the type of person who had little to no filter on what she said, and couldn't be bothered with the idea of offending anyone.

"I'm the researcher they sent to sort out the problem with the Dragons." Hermione hedged. She knew that it wasn't widely known what the problem was, but could hardly lie about her reason for being sent. At least Charlie had informed her that most of the Tamers knew something was going on. Hard not to when they were all being taken away into the Sanctuary with symptoms of an unknown illness.

Tasha's eyes lit up.

"Good! Hopefully you'll be able to sort out my Delilah." She said happily. Hermione cocked her head to the side in question.

"Dalilah's Tasha's girl" Charlie answered coming back with their drinks.

"Opaleye" Tasha continued. "The most beautiful dragon you'll ever see. She was the first one to catch me with fire." She sighed wistfully. "She's been my favorite ever since."

Hermione chuckled at Tasha's glazed look of adoration at the memory of getting burned with dragon fire.

"What's wrong with her?" Hermione asked.

"She was one of the first that got sick. Been in the Sanctuary ever since in quarantine. I visit when I can, but to stop the spread of whatever this is, I'm not allowed into the enclosure. I just want her healthy again. She hates being cooped up like that. Never even liked egg sitting cause it kept her from flying around like she wants."

"What can you tell me about her symptoms?" Hermione implored eagerly.

"Hold up!" Alex interrupted. "You aren't supposed to start until tomorrow. Nothing's gonna change in the next few hours that can't wait."

"He's right Mione." Charlie smiled at her. "You don't want to start putting the puzzle pieces together till you have the big picture. You'll get a better start by reading through the case files and then talking to the Tamers if you have more questions that aren't listed in those."

She nodded her head at his words. "You're right, I don't want to get ahead of myself and start forming theories without all the information. If I start now I won't be able to stop, and it's not like I can get into the research lab after hours. Sorry Tasha. I promise I'll do whatever I can to heal Dalilah."

"Of course you will! You're Hermione Granger. I've heard a lot about the laws you've been trying to pass in the DRCMC. You don't give up, so I know she'll be in good hands." Tasha smiled at her.

"Didn't know anyone was even following along with those proposals." She laughed. "It seemed like such a waste everytime the didn't get further than a preliminary vote in the Wizengamot. I hate how much politics and money corrupt the laws to improve the life of magical creatures." She growled in anger.

"So, other than being a champion of creature rights, tell us about yourself." Tasha implored.

"Not much to tell really." Hermione took a sip of her drink, relishing the burn of the whiskey as it went down. She caught Charlie's eye as he smirked at her.

"No way I believe that Prinţesă." Alex eyed her speculatively.

"Yeah, tell us how you got into dragons and working with the DRCMC." Said Tasha.

"Hmmm, well I always assumed I would work with the Ministry, but I dropped Care of Magical Creatures in my sixth year because it wouldn't fit into my schedule. At that point I was considering Auror as a job, so I didn't really need the class. After the war I had no desire to keep fighting though. I decided to pick the course up again, mainly out of indecision on what to do after graduating."

"So how did you end up working with the DRCMC?" Charlie asked. He realized that he didn't know this story. He knew she had a passion for magical beasts, and always assumed that she had wanted to go into the field. It was a shock to him to find out that she had dropped Care of Magical Creatures in her sixth year.

"Well, after talking to McGonagall she allowed me entry into the class even though I was missing a year. Considering the lack of proper instruction in the course so far she thought it fair that I could make it up." Hermione and Charlie shared a look at this comment and both chuckled.

"It was actually my friend Dean that convinced me to go into the DRCMC though." Hermione smiled at the memory.

Dean Thomas wasn't someone Hermione had paid all the much attention to during her years at school. Best friend to Seamus Finnigan, ex boyfriend of Ginny, and Harry and Ron's roommate. He hadn't really been close to Hermione herself. When they both returned for their eighth years they were thrown together a lot more often. Ginny was the instigator to the start of that friendship. Even after their nasty breakup they stayed friendly with one another, and she recommended Dean to help her catch up with Care of Magical Creatures. His easy going attitude, intelligence and fervor for the equal treatment of all Beings in the magical world created a fast friendship between the two. She was shocked at the amount of hours she spent debating the reasons and validity of having both centaurs and merpeople decline to be listed at being vs beasts. He made her look deeper into the situations and truly had a gift for looking at the situation from the eyes of the creatures in question. Their friendship had grown and after months of spending time together, he finally asked her out. She thought back to her year long relationship with the handsome man. He had been extremely sweet during their entire relationship, and unlike Harry and Ron, he never needed her to boss him into doing his work. He took care of himself, and even though he knew she didn't need it, he always looked after her as well. Little things like bringing her a snack when she was deep into studying, and holding doors open for her. She knew that was one of the things Ginny hated most while she dated him, but Hermione found it oddly refreshing. After so long of looking out for everyone else, it was a nice change to be taken care of. One day while lamenting that she had no idea what to do after graduating, he suggested the DRCMC.

"_You have such a passion for magical creatures. You could really do a lot of good there." He told her. _

"_I don't know Dean, what could I really focus on. I would love to take on Werewolf rights. Especially after all the vile laws Umbridge passed, but who would even listen to me? It's not like I'll be taken seriously right out of Hogwarts." She replied sadly. _

"_Hermione." He took her hand and looked into her eyes. "You are the most tenacious, dedicated, intelligent witch I've ever known. You even started campaigning for the rights of House Elves in fourth year. I know everyone else thought it was a bit of a joke, but I always thought S.P.E.W. was brilliant." He smiled at her and she blushed at the compliment. She remembered he was one of the only ones who stood up for her during that time. Defending her actions to those like Ron who thought it was a waste of time. _

"_You're right. It is something I've always felt strongly about. I'll think about it." She squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek in thanks. _

Charlie eyed the witch who had a content far off look in her eyes. He didn't like that one bit. He had heard about her dating this Dean Thomas, but had never known it was so serious between them. He wondered if she still had feelings for him.

"Old flame?" Tasha interrupted noticing the look in her eyes as well. She bounced her eyebrows at Hermione suggestively.

Hermione's cheeks flooded with colour. "How'd you know?" She asked.

"Well, that far off dreamy stare wasn't fooling anyone. So, this Dean? You two still together?"

"No, we're still great friends, but it didn't end up working out. We were both too focused on our careers, and realized we spent more time discussing work than we did on each other. I owe a lot to him though, and we still get together to work on proposals for new laws when we need a good sounding board." Hermione answered. It was true, she no longer had any feelings for Dean, and knew he didn't have any for her either. She missed the easy companionship that came with being with him, but knew they weren't meant to be. While they had a surprisingly harmonious relationship, it was lacking the spark they both were looking for. Hermione had come to the startling conclusion after seeing Charlie after their breakup. One smouldering look from the dragon tamer had created more desire in her than all the times she had been intimate with Dean. Not that the sexual aspect of their relationship was bad, far from it in fact. Dean was amazingly attentive in bed, and never left her wanting. But it was a slow smooth burn, and Hermione craved the all consuming passion like fiendfyre. The one she felt every time Charlie bloody Weasley looked at her with that damn spark in his eyes that made her feel like all of her nerve endings were set ablaze.

"Well, were glad to have you here." Alex jumped back into the conversation.

"Glad to be here. I can't wait to see the Dragons." Hermione said.

"Ever seen one up close Prinţesă?" Alex asked her.

"A few... " Hermione hedged with a devious smirk.

"Oh, I have got to hear the story behind that look." Alex leaned closer to her across the table.

"Well, there was the first Dragon I saw. In my first year a friend decided it would be a good idea to hatch a dragon egg he won in a pub. I learned very quickly that a wooden hut was not the best place to raise a baby dragon. We actually contacted Charlie here to help smuggle it out!" Hermione laughed at the memory.

"Norberta! That's right, I'd forgotten you helped with that!" Charlie's eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Yeah, poor Hagrid was so heartbroken. Took weeks to get him to agree to it in the first place. By the time we had everything arranged Norbert was over double the size. I still can't believe we didn't get caught doing that." Hermione continued.

"You snuck a dragon out of school as a first year?!" Alex asked astonished. "You couldn't have been more than thirteen!"

"Twelve actually." Hermione laughed at his expression.

"Frate! You've got some stones Prinţesă." He eyed her more appreciatively than he had before.

"So, you said the first dragon you saw, what about the ones after that?" He wanted to hear more from this fascinating woman who was turning out to be a lot more interesting than he would have thought at first glance. No wonder Charlie had a thing for her, he thought to himself.

Hermione downed the rest of her drink before answering.

"Well, there was the four at the Triwizard Tournament. They were really something. Norbert was just a baby, but those four? They were the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. They practically oozed power and magic. I was terrified that Harry was going to have to face any of them, but I couldn't even be mad when the Horntail tried to eat him. She was just so incredible." Hermione answered.

"Da, they're really something when their full grown. You can just feel the magic coiled inside them." Alex agreed.

Charlie eyed her like he wanted to strip her naked after that statement. His eyes were practically glowing with heat, and she thought she might be in danger of soaking right through her knickers sitting there at the pub. Charlie was having a hard time not pulling the little witch into his lap and snogging her stupid after he heard her describe the four dragons they brought to Hogwarts. He had known she found them fascinating by the amount of times she sought him out while they were there. She had hounded him with questions on the beasts, and had listened eagerly to everything he had to share about them. He hadn't been sure at the time if she was just trying to get information that could help Harry in his task. Now, he had his answer.

"Knew you'd fit right in here Granger." Tasha's smile widened. "So, is that why you decided to specialize in dragonology?"

"No, actually. The reason for that was the sixth dragon I ever saw." Her face dropped slightly.

"When was that?" Charlie asked her. Having not heard this story.

"During the war, when Harry, Ron, and I were hunting down parts of Voldemort's soul." She answered him quietly. It still wasn't widely known what they had been hunting during the year before the Battle. She always made sure to leave out all mentions of Horcruxes in conversation. Everyone had agreed that it was better if any knowledge of them disappeared from the world.

"We knew where we had to go, but unfortunately it was in Gringotts. We made plans to get down to the Lestrange vault with a goblin we met escaping from Malfoy Manor. That's how I learned to never trust a goblin, unless you have an ironclad agreement. They will work their way around any loopholes you leave them. When we went down to the vault, there was this dragon chained up. It was half blind and taught to be afraid of loud noises. The poor thing had been left down there and tortured for who knows how long.. After we destroyed the object we set off the alarms. We knew we would be caught in a matter of moments, so I did the only thing I could think of. Jumped on the back of the dragon they had down there and we rode it straight out of there. Saved the dragon, and escaped all in one." She smiled.

Alex let out a long whistle.

"You are full of surprises puiul mic." He was definitely going to have to get to know this one.

"Bloody Hell Granger!" You broke into Gringotts and stole a dragon?!" Tasha exclaimed in shocked laughter. "I have got to hang out with you. I thought we Tamers liked to live on the wild side, but that's some crazy shite!"

Hermione laughed and looked back at Charlie who was being oddly quiet. He had a contemplative look on his face. Hermione nudged him to get his attention.

"You alright there?" She asked.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Say, what breed of dragon was it you said was in Gringotts?" He tilted his head like he was trying to put together a puzzle without all the pieces.

"I didn't. It's hard to say, because of how long it was down there. But, if I had to guess I would say it was a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Why?" She tilted her head, wondering what he was thinking.

Charlie smiled and looked over at Alex who raised a brow. He was clearly just as curious as she where Charlie was going with this.

"Titus." was all he responded with. A large grin stretched out over both their faces.


End file.
